Thoughts to excite, alarm or foil paradigms, senses of humor, and imagination although not always in that order.
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool."
-Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics 1965.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

First Notions of Female Submariners Comedic and Medical

UPDATE: Even older popularization (still comedic) of females on subs:

Operation Petticoat...(1959)

On 24th August 79 A.D. An eruption from Mount Vesuvius destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum killing over 2,000 inhabitants. Volcanic ash has preserved the bodies and buildings of those who perished for today's tourists.

What first imparted the notion of female submariners? For many it dates back to another August 24th event, this one the 1966 release of the sci-fi movieFantastic Voyage with starring female Raquel Welch.

The talented editor of the widely acclaimed The Sub Report recently posted a YouTube on Decks Awash!. It features one of Lucille Ball's funniest shows, Lucy And The Submarine (1966). It was not only funny, but cleverly conceived, too.

Was the Lucy episode actually the first popularization of a female on a submarine? The release date turned out to be September 19, 1966, less than a month afterFantastic Vogage's release.

Could there be an even earlier film release with this theme? If anyone finds one, please share it.

In 1995 the Royal Norwegian Navy became the first navy in the world to appoint a female submarine captain.[4] In 1998, the The Royal Ausralian Navy (RAN)became the second nation to allow women to serve on combat submarines.Canada and Spain followed in permitting women to serve on military submarines. [5] The usual reasons for barring women that are given are: lack of privacy, and hot bunking or hot racking, as due to lack of space this is a common practice on submarines where three sailors share two bunks on a rotating basis. The US Navy, which permits women to serve on almost every other ship in the fleet, only allows three exceptions for women being on board military submarines. ... The US Navy argues it would cost $300,000 per bunk to permit women to serve on sub-marines versus $4,000 per bunk to allow women to serve on aircraft carriers.

Women on submarines (Phyllis Schlafly Speaks):Women of childbearing age should not be exposed to heavy metals and radiation. In the U.S. industrial world OSHA is clear on these points. What would possibly make the U.S. Navy an exception to protection of the human fetus.

About Me

Former submariner, later an investigator and audit manager. Currently, in an entrepreneurial mode. I have never missed a chance to vote (except local elections while at sea)and will continue to vote as an independent.